How can I improve the quality of my scanning results?

Scanning can be a tedious process if the scanning environment is not optimal. Here are some general tips on how to optimize your scanning results.

A high frame rate is vital

Make sure your graphics card is a decent one. ReconstructMe performs most operations directly on the GPU. If the GPU cannot cope with the amount of data your sensor generates per second, you will observe a drop in frames per second. For smooth scanning you should observe frame rates between 20-30 FPS. Everything below will feel jerky and directly affect the quality of the scan result.

Keep the sensor pointing at the object

Tracking can only succeed when the volume to be reconstructed is in view. Pointing the sensor away too far from the object or stretching the distance between the sensor will lead to reconstruction errors. Keep in mind that sensors require a certain minimum distance between the sensor and the object (e.g Kinect requires a minimum distance of 400mm).

Ensure to have geometric features

Stable tracking requires geometry that is non-planar and non-symmetric. Make sure that whatever you reconstruct does not entirely consist of a single plane, a cylinder, a sphere or anything else that looks alike from different perspectives. When keeping the sensor fixed and turning an object infront of it, make sure everything inside the volume turns.

Move slowly

Depending on the FPS you achieve, you might need to move the sensor more slowly. Fast movements of the sensor will lead to blurry data and thus to reconstruction errors.

Avoid direct sunlight

The title says it all. Some sensors (those depending on infrared light) don’t play well with direct sunlight exposure. If you need to scan outside, choose a cloudy day or scan at night.

Make sure to have enough space

When scanning an object you should calculate for some extra room, so you can move around the object without effort.

Scanning a rotating object

When scanning a object that is rotating, make sure that the reconstruction volume only captures rotating elements and not static elements. Otherwise this would confuse the tracking algorithm which in turn would lead to loss of tracking.